HOME BIRTH

.: Home Birth FAQ
.: Tips
.: Videos
.: Resources
.: Home Birth Supplies

Home Birth FAQ

.: Is home birth safe?
.: What if I don't think my home/space is appropriate?
.: What do I need to do to prepare for a home birth?
.: What supplies are necessary for a home birth?

Is home birth safe?

The most recent studies have shown that with healthy pregnancies free of complications, planned home births attended by trained midwives are as safe as hospital births.

There are some VERY important distinctions made in the above statement. Studies of home birth look at:

1. Low Risk women
2. Families who have planned ahead of time to have their birth at home and prepared for it. This does NOT include births that happened so fast that paramedics were called or mom delivered at home alone.
3. Home births attended by trained professional midwives.

These studies make no claim as to the safety of unassisted home birth, precipitous home birth or home birth for women who do not meet the criteria for being low risk.

Please note the overall findings of a study on home birth reported in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, including some very important benefits of home birth:

"there were fewer interventions during labour, including electronic fetal monitoring, induction of labour, episiotomy and cesarean section; women were more likely to have an intact perineum and fewer maternal infections and were no more likely to have third-degree or fourth-degree tears or postpartum hemorrhage; and there were no significant differences in perinatal mortality, 5-minute Apgar scores and meconium aspiration syndrome, as compared with women intending to deliver in hospital who were assisted by physicians or midwives."

- Régis Blais, Are home births safe? CMAJ 2002;166(3):335-6

There is a wealth of information available on this subject:
CBC Article
British Medical Journal - Study of North American births in 2000
Canadian Medical Association Journal - Outcomes of planned home births versus planned hospital births after regulation of midwifery in British Columbia
CTV Article
Association for Safe Alternatives in Childbirth

BACK TO TOP

What if I don't think my home/space is appropriate?

Women have been having babies in all kinds of different spaces for a very long time. Women have given birth outside, in huts, on boats, on buses, even in trees. You can rest assurred that our modern houses, no matter how small, are more than likely adequate. You'll probably want access to a bathroom and your space may dictate whether or not you can rent a birth pool but in most cases, you should find that your home will be just fine. Your midwives will usually do a home visit a few weeks before you are due (to make sure they know the way) and they will be able to go over any concerns you may have.

BACK TO TOP

What do I need to do to prepare for a home birth?

Having a home birth can be an amazingly empowering and rewarding experience, not just for mom but for the whole family. In a world dependent on technology, enamored with science, it is indeed a rare accomplishment to birth a baby at home far from epidurals and laughing gas. There is also something magical about going through the birth experience in the place you live day to day, in your own private space where you feel safe and comfortable. Imagine how lovely it is, a year or two later, to look up from where you are sitting and think “wow, this is where we were when this sweet child joined us for the first time!”

A home birth is not particularly more complicated than a hospital birth. In fact, in many ways, it can be much simpler. No forms to fill out, no nurses coming and going, no shift changes, no electronic fetal monitoring—just you, your team and your space. However, you will need to cover a few basics:

Mindset
Try not to fixate on the idea of being at home. Prepare for the possibility of needing or wanting to transfer to the hospital not because you doubt the process but because there is always an element of unpredictability with birth. In the event of a transfer, you will need to remain focused on your birth and your baby rather than being disappointed about ending up at the hospital. Telling everyone in the weeks beforehand that we were “planning a home birth” rather than “having a home birth” helped me to mentally leave the door open for the possibility of a change of venue.

Cleaning
Several weeks before your due date give the place a serious clean. Afterwards you will only need to maintain with spot cleaning/maintenance. No need to feel embarrassed by the state of your housekeeping when welcoming your birth team.

Supplies
Your midwife will give you a list of supplies that you will need to have on hand for your birth. Every midwife tends to have a slightly different list but the basics are all the same. Some items can be found around the house; others will need to be picked up specifically for your birth. If you order your supplies online, keep them in the shipping box in a place that is relatively handy. Add a good pile of old clean sheets, towels and wash cloths. Choose linens that you don’t mind staining. You can also put everything in a laundry basket for easily carting to a different room when labour starts or if you are compelled to move around.

Remember to pack your hospital bag and keep it by the door in case you end up transferring to the hospital.

Food
Shop beforehand for snacks for yourself and your birth team. Good ideas are fruit, popsicles, juice, miso soup, crackers. You can also make up a batch of Labourade or drink Emergen-C. If your labour is long you may get hungry and you definitely need to stay hydrated.

Stock your freezer with healthy heat-and-eat meals to make those first weeks with a newborn a little easier. You can use up some of that late third trimester nesting energy making your own or enlist your family and friends to each donate a meal for your freezer when they ask, “What do you need?”

Siblings
You can choose the level of involvement for older children: whether they go to friend’s house, stay in the next room or wander in and out at will. Try to bear in mind the individual personalities of your little ones as you make this decision. You can prepare them for what to expect with classes, books or even colouring. Talking with kids ahead of time about what will happen during labour and birth will help them take it all in stride. If you plan on having your older children present, it is a good idea to have an adult there whose main role is to attend to them.

Pets
Dogs especially can find the commotion of birth slightly upsetting. Try to have a space for them out of the way or consider arranging a sitter.

From pets and people to prepping the nest, you do have to do a bit of extra leg work before your home birth. It will all be worth it when you don’t have to climb in the car and endure contractions for a twenty minute ride to the hospital. Picture yourself lounging in your own bed as your midwife weighs and measures baby and family members look on—what a great reward for a little extra planning.

BACK TO TOP

What supplies are necessary for a home birth?

The list of supplies varies. Your best bet is to check with your midwife to find out what they would like you to have on hand. A basic list would include:

• a plastic sheet or two to protect the bed and floor
• old linens (sheets and towels) that you don't mind staining
• old washcloths for making compresses to protect your perineum
• a large glass bowl or yoghurt container for the placenta
• a large ziploc bag to dispose of or store the placenta
• two large garbage bags (one for garbage, one for laundry)
• a small hand mirror to be able to see baby's head (especially if you are in a position that doesn't give your midwife a clear view)
• cotton underpads for keeping the bed clean
• flashlight with batteries so your midwife can see even if you have the lights low
• receiving blankets for baby
• thermometer
• sanitary pads (maternity or overnight size)
• snacks and lots of liquids (water, Labourade, Emergen-C etc.)

Some extras:

• perineal bottle (spray bottle for rinsing perineum post-partum)
• sitz bath and herbs
• arnica for bruising and swelling post-partum
• witch hazel
• rubbing alcohol
• acetaminophen or ibuprophen

Please also read our glossary for a description of the uses of common birth supplies.

BACK TO TOP

Tips

Frozen Pads

Groaning Cake

Warm Linens

Placenta

BACK TO TOP

Videos

Emma
Olive
Henry
Aleksander
Portrait of a midwife

Resources

This page is meant to give you an introduction to home birth. For more info, check out these great resources:

homebirth.org.uk - this excellent reference site answers your questions about safety, eligibility and more

And more to come...